Pierce County Sheriff’s Detective Brian Lund recalled a case that went against a sorry pattern.
“I had a case where a six-year-old girl was living with her dad and step-mom. She had come to school with bruises they couldn’t explain and she wouldn’t explain. They had a CPS referral, and I got a call from a detective in another agency.
“She had been in the hospital, and the dad and the doctor couldn’t explain all the bruises. There were too many to be explained and some of them were very distinct. Her father was very concerned.
“She ended up telling another family member that her stepmother had hit her with some shoes. She was placed in custody. I think we had a trunk and pulled out a bear for her.
“Long story short is that step mother pled to assault and didn’t have any more contact with her. There were other legal issues with the father, but I think they were eventually reunited.”
About the drive
Child abuse and neglect cases are some of the hardest on Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies. Though they are all awful, the deaths of Charlie and Braden Powell at their father’s hand was one of the worst. Who could make sense of a parent murdering his own boys?
After they found a picture Charlie made of a happy dinosaur, five detectives saw it as the mascot of an effort to help the kids they still can. They founded Charlie’s Dinosaur as a non-profit to help children moving out of abuse and into foster care.
There’s an awkward time in that process, said Det. Sgt. Theresa Berg. The children rarely have clean clothes, toiletries or anything to pass the time in the few days when they are in meetings, hearings and temporary care. Charlie’s Dinosaur fills in that blank with a backpack or rolling suitcase filled with new necessities.
The detectives are allowing us to help fill those bags during Tacoma Weekly’s Charlie’s Dinosaur Drive for Foster Kids. The list of things the children need, and the places to bring them are next to this story.
The New Things The Kids Need:Backpacks
Rolling luggage
Pajamas (no nightgowns or shorties)
Hair dryers
Jeans and tops
Zip-front hoodies
Coats
Toiletries, including shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and body wash
Combs and brushes
Art supplies
Books